Quantum Computing

From drug discovery and cybersecurity to finance and artificial intelligence, quantum computing is moving beyond the laboratory. As technology giants pour billions of dollars into the field, a new ecosystem of hardware, software and specialised jobs is beginning to emerge.

For decades, the evolution of computing followed a familiar path: computers became smaller, faster and more powerful.

Today, however, the technology industry is preparing for a fundamentally different kind of computing.

It is called quantum computing.

Unlike conventional computers, which process information using bits represented as 0 or 1, quantum computers use qubits. These exploit properties of quantum mechanics such as superposition and entanglement to process information in a fundamentally different way.

The technology is still in its early stages. Quantum computers are not about to replace laptops, smartphones or conventional data centres. Yet the pace of investment and research has accelerated sharply, with technology companies, governments and universities competing to build machines capable of solving problems that could remain impractical even for the world’s most powerful classical supercomputers.

And increasingly, the quantum race is becoming a jobs race as well.

What exactly is quantum computing?

A conventional computer stores and processes information using bits.

A bit has a value of either 0 or 1.

A quantum computer uses a qubit. Because of quantum mechanics, a qubit can exist in a quantum state involving both 0 and 1 until it is measured.

This property is called superposition.

Qubits can also become entangled, meaning their quantum states can be correlated in ways that have no direct classical equivalent.

These properties allow quantum algorithms to manipulate information differently from conventional algorithms.

But there is an important misconception surrounding the technology.

A quantum computer does not simply “try every answer at the same time” and then reveal all the answers.

Instead, quantum algorithms are designed to use interference between quantum states so that the probability of obtaining useful results increases while unwanted possibilities are suppressed.

That distinction is important because quantum computers are not universally faster than conventional computers.

Their potential advantage lies in solving particular classes of problems.

Why does the world need quantum computers?

The answer lies in the growing complexity of modern problems.

Consider drug discovery.

Scientists trying to develop a new medicine need to understand how molecules interact with one another. As molecular systems become more complicated, accurately simulating their behaviour can become extraordinarily difficult for classical computers.

Quantum computers could eventually help simulate certain molecular and chemical systems more naturally.

The same principle could have implications for materials science.

Researchers are searching for better batteries, more efficient solar materials, new catalysts, advanced semiconductors and other materials with specific properties.

Quantum simulation could potentially allow scientists to explore some of these systems in ways that are difficult for classical machines.

The technology could also have applications in:

Drug discovery
Materials science
Chemical research
Energy technology
Financial modelling
Logistics and optimisation
Cybersecurity
Artificial intelligence
High-energy physics

However, these applications should be viewed as areas of potential rather than guaranteed commercial breakthroughs.

Quantum computing is not replacing classical computing

One of the biggest misconceptions is that quantum computers will eventually replace today’s computers.

That is unlikely.

A quantum processor is better understood as a specialised computing accelerator.

A conventional CPU will continue to perform everyday tasks.

GPUs will continue to handle highly parallel workloads, including much of modern AI.

Supercomputers will continue to perform massive conventional simulations.

A quantum processor could be added to this ecosystem to handle particular calculations for which quantum algorithms provide an advantage.

This is increasingly becoming known as quantum-centric computing or hybrid quantum-classical computing.

IBM, for example, has been developing architectures in which quantum processors work alongside CPUs and GPUs. In March 2026, the company published a blueprint for integrating quantum processors into high-performance computing systems.

The idea is straightforward: rather than asking whether quantum or classical computing will win, the future may involve both technologies working together.

The biggest challenge: quantum computers are extremely fragile

The promise of quantum computing comes with an enormous engineering problem.

Qubits are fragile.

Interactions with their environment can disturb their quantum state and introduce errors. Temperature, electromagnetic interference and imperfections in hardware can all affect the reliability of quantum operations.

This is known as decoherence and quantum noise.

Consequently, building a quantum computer is not simply a matter of putting more qubits on a chip.

Researchers need to make those qubits reliable enough to perform long and complicated calculations.

This has made quantum error correction one of the most important areas of research.

A future fault-tolerant quantum computer may require many physical qubits to create a smaller number of reliable logical qubits.

That means a machine advertising hundreds or thousands of physical qubits cannot automatically be described as a commercially useful quantum computer.

The quality of the qubits matters as much as the quantity.

The race between Google, IBM and other technology giants

The quantum race is now being led by a mixture of technology giants, specialist startups, universities and government laboratories.

Google has made some of the most prominent announcements in recent years.

Its Willow processor became a major milestone after Google reported that it had demonstrated a form of quantum advantage on a specialised computational task.

In 2025, Google also announced results involving its Quantum Echoes algorithm, claiming that a particular calculation could be performed dramatically faster than the classical approach used for comparison.

The significance of such demonstrations is not that quantum computers have suddenly become faster than conventional machines at everything.

They have not.

Instead, they demonstrate that quantum hardware is beginning to perform carefully selected computations that are difficult to reproduce classically.

IBM has also accelerated its programme.

In June 2026, IBM announced plans to invest more than $10 billion over five years in quantum computing. The investment covers research and development, manufacturing, ecosystem expansion, capital expenditure and acquisitions.

The company has set a goal of developing large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computing later this decade.

IBM is also pursuing a hybrid approach in which quantum systems operate alongside conventional high-performance computing infrastructure.

The company has further expanded its technological strategy by announcing the acquisition of HRL Laboratories, adding expertise in silicon-spin qubits to its existing superconducting-qubit programme.

The move illustrates how uncertain the technological race remains.

There is still no universally accepted answer to which quantum architecture will ultimately dominate.

Quantum computing could become a cybersecurity revolution

Perhaps the most strategically important consequence of quantum computing concerns cybersecurity.

Much of today’s digital security depends on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult for conventional computers to solve.

A sufficiently powerful fault-tolerant quantum computer could use algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm to efficiently solve certain mathematical problems underlying widely used public-key cryptographic systems.

In simple terms, a sufficiently capable quantum machine could eventually threaten some of the encryption systems that protect digital communications today.

This is why governments and technology companies are already working on post-quantum cryptography.

The objective is to develop encryption methods that remain secure even against future quantum computers.

The concern is not necessarily that quantum computers will break the internet tomorrow.

The problem is that sensitive encrypted information captured today could potentially be stored and decrypted in the future if sufficiently powerful quantum computers become available.

This has created a race between quantum computing and quantum-safe cybersecurity.

The jobs revolution may arrive before the quantum revolution

One of the less discussed consequences of quantum computing is employment.

The technology will require far more than quantum physicists.

As the industry develops, companies will need:

Quantum software developers to write applications and quantum programmes.

Quantum algorithm researchers to identify problems that can benefit from quantum approaches.

Quantum engineers to develop and operate quantum hardware.

Cryogenic engineers to build systems capable of maintaining the extremely low temperatures required by some quantum architectures.

Chip designers and semiconductor engineers to develop quantum processors and control electronics.

Quantum cybersecurity specialists to prepare organisations for the post-quantum era.

Cloud and software engineers to integrate quantum systems into existing computing infrastructure.

And perhaps most importantly, companies will need professionals who understand both quantum computing and specific industries.

A pharmaceutical company, for instance, will need people who understand chemistry as well as quantum algorithms.

A financial institution will require specialists who understand financial modelling and quantum optimisation.

A cybersecurity company will need professionals who understand both conventional encryption and quantum threats.

This could create a new category of hybrid technology professionals.

India wants a place in the quantum economy

India is also attempting to build capabilities in this emerging sector.

The country’s National Quantum Mission aims to develop capabilities across quantum computing, communication, sensing and related technologies.

The focus is not limited to research.

India is increasingly attempting to build an ecosystem involving universities, startups, technology companies and government institutions.

One significant development is the construction of the Quantum Valley Tech Park in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh.

The project is being positioned as a centre for quantum research, education and industry.

IBM has also been working with Indian partners to expand access to quantum computing and quantum education.

The push is important because the quantum race will not be decided only by who builds the fastest processor.

Countries will also compete over talent, intellectual property, semiconductor manufacturing, research infrastructure and commercial applications.

But the hype needs to be controlled

Quantum computing is undoubtedly one of the most promising areas of advanced technology.

But it is also one of the most hyped.

A quantum computer is not a magical machine capable of instantly solving every computational problem.

Most everyday computing tasks will remain better suited to classical computers.

Even when a quantum algorithm theoretically provides an advantage, turning that theoretical advantage into a commercially useful system requires reliable hardware, efficient error correction, practical algorithms and an economically viable infrastructure.

This is why the industry’s most important milestone may not simply be the number of qubits.

The real breakthrough will come when quantum computers can repeatedly solve useful real-world problems better, faster or cheaper than the best classical alternatives.

That point has not yet been reached across the industry.

But the gap is being aggressively targeted.

The beginning of a new computing era?

The computing industry has already gone through several major transformations.

Vacuum tubes gave way to transistors.

Transistors evolved into integrated circuits.

Personal computers transformed offices and homes.

The internet connected billions of people.

Smartphones put powerful computers into people’s pockets.

Artificial intelligence has now created enormous demand for specialised computing infrastructure.

Quantum computing could represent another major transition—not by replacing all existing computers, but by adding an entirely new computational capability.

The most likely future is therefore not a world without classical computers.

It is a world where CPUs, GPUs, supercomputers and quantum processors work together.

And if researchers succeed in overcoming the problems of noise, scalability and error correction, quantum computing could eventually become an important industrial technology rather than merely a scientific experiment.

The transformation may also create an entirely new technology workforce.

The first quantum revolution may therefore not be about putting a quantum computer on every desk.

It could be about building an ecosystem around quantum machines—and creating an entirely new generation of scientists, engineers, software developers and technology professionals who know how to use them.

Quantum computing is still not ready to replace classical computing. But the race to make it commercially useful has already begun.